Inexplicable
by randomwriting
Summary: Some things can't be explained and there's no point trying. SC


Inexplicable

Disclaimer: CBS, creators, producers, etc., own all recognizable characters, not me; I'm just borrowing them.

Inexplicable

"…I might just surprise you."

Her words from the night before played back in his mind as he contemplated the even rise and fall of her chest. She had indeed surprised him, he conceded. Six ways from Sunday and in more ways than he could count, although if he remembered the conversation correctly, _this_ likely wasn't what she had in mind.

It was warm in the unfamiliar bedroom he found himself awakening in this morning, though nowhere near as hot and steamy as it had been during the night. Exhausted and spent, he'd fallen into a deeply satisfying slumber with her neatly tucked into his side. He woke now with her back still pressed firmly against him, and the sheet tangled somewhere around their legs. Reaching down between them, he gently pulled the light cover to just below her shoulders while trying not to wake her. It had been almost stifling in the room last night, leaving him curious as to why they never thought to turn the air conditioning on. Although, if his memory served correctly, the heat had enhanced the already inflamed atmosphere in ways he couldn't have foreseen. And that was something neither was doing any complaining about, last night.

But that was then. This morning would be decidedly different. Not normally adept at social situations on a good day, an awkward, uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing one such as this, wasn't something he was in any hurry to experience. Perplexed, he considered his options while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The ideal solution would be to simply slip out the door while she dozed, thus saving both from the stilted morning after discomfort. This, however, wasn't some random woman he'd picked up in a bar and had the luxury of never seeing again. This was Calleigh, his coworker, and thusly required delicate handling. Skulking out the door was automatically eliminated as an option.

What he should've done was make his exit last night, usually the safest and best option. It was also his usual modus operandi, even with women he was actually dating, which might explain why none of his past relationships lasted longer than a few weeks. But, sex was sex and sleep was sleep, one usually required a partner, the other did not. And since nobody had succeeded in holding his interest, it wasn't a problem, at least in his eyes.

Last night, the choice to stay or go was his; she'd made that clear from the onset. Intensely private, just as he was, and with probable control issues to boot, he assumed that was her inclination. Although, it could be he was projecting his preferences onto her in an effort to remain guiltless. In the end, when the time came and fatigue began to claim him, he made no move to leave the comfort of her bed, instead opting to stay exactly where he was. Drowsy herself, she nestled up against him and the last thing he remembered before his brain shut down was her quiet contented sigh.

Rolling onto his back, he breathed deeply, able still to detect the heady scent of sweat soaked lovemaking lingering in the air. How long, he wondered, would the images of last night invade his thoughts? Licking his lips, he savored her sweet and salty taste as he mulled over this most unexpected turn of events.

It had been an impromptu get together, if it could even be called that. Plans to grab a beer with Delko looked to be a wash when Tim got stuck at the lab processing evidence that Horatio wanted yesterday or even sooner, if possible. Rather than find a replacement partner at the last minute, Delko had cajoled Calleigh into standing in for Tim, at least until Tim could tear himself away from his evidence. How he did it Tim couldn't imagine, but Delko had a way of charming the ladies, and although she initially appeared reluctant, even Calleigh proved not to be immune to her coworker's natural charisma.

Joining the two at a bar a couple hours later, he found his buddy palpably relieved to see him and his stand-in looking like she'd rather be anywhere but where she was. She greeted Tim warmly and if pressed, would undoubtedly lie and say she was having a delightful evening, but her frozen smile and far away eyes gave her away. No wonder, he thought with a smirk, as he cast his gaze around the room, this bar was obviously one of Delko's choosing. Undoubtedly, this was not the kind of place Calleigh frequented, although, to be honest, he'd be hard pressed to conjure up the kind of place she would frequent. For a moment, he pondered just what she did do on her nights off, but was soon distracted by the noise and activity surrounding them.

His practiced eye quickly scanned the joint, taking in as much of the scenery as he could without being obvious about it. 'Oh yeah', he snickered to himself. Judging by the scores of attractive and scantily clad women who outnumbered the guys by about a 2:1 ratio, this was definitely Delko's kind of place. Hell, this was any guy's kind of place, he thought as he made eye contact with a striking young brunette and gave her the same once over she giving him.

Over a beer, Tim let his colleagues fill him in on their evening thus far and then caught them up with the headway he'd made in his case. Stifling a yawn, he felt the fatigue he'd been keeping at bay all week beginning to catch up with him. Staying out all hours last night, on top of all the overtime he'd put in this week hadn't been the wisest move. He'd even debated going out with Delko tonight, but figured one beer wouldn't kill him, as long as he made it an early night.

Perched stiffly on the edge of her seat, Calleigh looked like she was ready to bolt out the door, but Delko had other ideas for himself. He wasted little time after Tim's arrival before making a bee line to the dance floor with the first available female who smiled in his direction, leaving Tim and Calleigh to fend for themselves. If Calleigh was aware that she had been cramping his style all evening, she didn't let on and Tim wisely kept his wry comments to himself. It had never been his plan to end up at her place, but thanks to his own good intentions and Delko's lack there of, in her bed is where his evening wound up.

_"You look ready to call it a night," Tim remarked, after they'd been sitting quietly a few minutes. Eyeing her curiously, he wondered if it were fatigue, boredom, or something else all together, he was seeing in her eyes._

_"Mmm. I think I'm ready for home, but it was nice to get out tonight," she said, suddenly brightening, as if she just remembered the importance of always putting a positive spin on most any situation, no matter the truth. "I'm glad you stopped by. I mean, we see each other every day, but we almost never see each other outside of work." He shrugged, wondering what was so different about the few minutes of conversation they'd shared since he arrived compared to what little they talked at work. Seemed no different to him. _

_"Do you see Eric?" she asked, straining to see into the crowd and onto the dance floor._

_"Nah. He's undoubtedly in some dark corner by now," he said matter of fact, knowing his buddy as well as he did and how quickly he operated._

_"Oh," she said with surprise, reverting her eyes back to him._

_"Don't worry about saying goodbye; I think we've seen the last of him tonight. If I see him before I head out, I'll tell him you said goodnight."_

_"You don't think he plans on coming back to the table any time soon?" she asked, her voice now an octave higher._

_"No, I don't," Tim responded, not certain why this mattered so much to her. "Why?" he asked, now noticing the slight distress on her face._

_"He's my ride," she answered with frustration, and went back to scanning the crowd._

_"You didn't drive yourself?" he asked, although her previous response had rendered that question redundant._

_She shook her head. "He kept changing the venue and the time, so it just seemed easier for him to pick me up, rather than have me end up at the wrong place. Maybe he forgot I need a ride home," she suggested, although from the tone she used, she didn't sound even remotely convinced of that possibility._

_"I can give you a ride," he offered, attempting to keep the annoyance he felt at having to drive to the other side of the city, when Delko lived so much closer to her, out of his voice. "I was just gonna order a cup of coffee, if you don't mind waiting."_

_"No thank you," she responded much too quickly, making him think he hadn't done a very good job of masking his irritation. She also looked paler than she had a moment ago, leading him to wonder if there wasn't something else holding her back. "I'll just wait for Eric."_

_"It's okay Calleigh, I don't mind," he said, attempting to sound sincere. She was stuck after all and it wasn't her fault Delko could be a thoughtless dumbass. "You don't have to wait for Delko." _

_"Oh, I don't mind," she said, matching his earlier insincerity. It was a moment before it dawned on him what was behind her hesitancy._

"_I have my truck," he said with a smirk. "Don't worry, I would never put you on my bike," he reassured. He shook his head, mildly amused by the thought of Calleigh on his bike, or any bike for that matter._

_"That's right," she said, grinning now, her relief obvious. "I forgot you finally bought something with doors. Never thought that day would come," she teased._

_"Cute. Let's just say that day came a lot sooner than the one that puts you on a motorcycle."_

_"Now what makes you say that?" she asked, all wide-eyed innocence and charm._

_"Come on Calleigh, you can't expect me to think you'd ever get on a motorcycle, especially one built for racing like a Ducati is. You looked slightly stricken when I offered to give you a ride home."_

_"I didn't look stricken," she protested unsuccessfully._

_"Yeah, you did," he chuckled._

_"I'll have you know I've ridden on a motorcycle before."_

_"Right," he scoffed._

_"What makes you doubt me?" she asked, sounding huffy._

_"You don't have to sound insulted. You just don't seem the type, is all," he answered with a shrug._

_"You think you know me, but I might just surprise you," she said with a flirty laugh._

_"I won't hold my breath," he said, squinting at her and her apparent amusement. _

_"Do you really need that coffee?" she asked impatiently._

_"You really don't want to stay here another minute, do you?" She shook her head and smiled sweetly. Inwardly he groaned knowing full well she was going to get her way and he wasn't going to get his coffee. "Fine," he said with as much exasperation as he could dredge up. Her smile widened in return, which served to irritate him even more._

"You're looking blankly pensive this morning," she drawled, pulling him from his reminiscences and back into the present.

"Huh?" he asked, confused. Rolling from his back to his side, he came face to face with her beaming smile, one that didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable or embarrassed by the fact that they were unclothed and sharing a bed. "Blankly pensive?" he repeated, arching an eyebrow at her. "Isn't that a contradiction? Or at the least, bad grammar?" he teased.

"You don't have to give me a hard time; I haven't had my coffee yet. My grammar will be just fine after that," she defended, still grinning at him. "I just meant that you seemed lost in thought as usual, but your expression was blank."

"As usual?" he questioned.

"Mmm," she nodded. "You're always preoccupied with something or other and your focus can be a bit intense, you know. I've always wondered if your mind ever shut down, but I think this has answered my question," she teased good-naturedly.

"Trust me, I can think of a couple of times my mind's gone blank recently. Very satisfyingly blank," he added for emphasis and could swear he saw her eyes widen and cheeks color.

"Yeah, I think maybe I caught that," she gave back with a flirty laugh, having recovered quickly from her surprise at his bold and unexpected comment.

And she wasn't the only one who was surprised. Unable to gauge how uncomfortable this morning would prove to be, he knew from the moment he opened his eyes, that he'd be flying blind, not a situation he relished. Making conversation in general wasn't his forte, but being called upon to make small talk while lying naked next to his equally naked colleague was unprecedented. Add to that the fact that he'd inexplicably made love to her twice during the night, all the while forgetting that he'd have to work alongside her this morning like nothing ever happened and he was well beyond his accumulated life skills.

Yet, here he was, doing just that. Instead of the embarrassing discomfort and remorse he would've expected, they were playfully teasing each other, completely forgetting they had no business lying impossibly close and unselfconsciously in her bed. In fact, they were doing a lot more talking this morning than they had last night. Once they made it into the bedroom, there were few words exchanged, opting to let their hands and bodies do the talking instead. He vaguely remembered telling her she was beautiful, but it's also possible he never actually said the words out loud.

"You decided to stay," she said. Or was she asking, he wondered? It was often hard to tell with Calleigh, since she had a maddening way of finishing sentences in a higher octave than she started with, often confusing him.

He nodded. "Yeah. I was pretty tired," he explained, concentrating intently on a spot on the wall behind her head, now feeling the discomfort that had been missing earlier. "You okay with that?" he mumbled, feeling foolish, since it was a little late to do anything about it now.

"It's fine. I don't mind. It was late after all, and you were tired. I wouldn't have expected you to drive all the way out to your place at that hour," she rambled, when a simple nod of the head would've been sufficient.

An awkward silence filled the room, leaving him to wonder which of them would be the first to break it, although if he had to guess, he'd bet on her.

"I guess we should think about getting ready for work," she said, the first to break the tense stillness.

"Yeah… about that," he began, trying his best to keep his gaze on her and not the wall. "Are you okay with, you know, with what happened between us," he hesitated, and shifted slightly in the bed, "since we, uh, work together?" She nodded. "Yeah? You're sure? I mean it was certainly unexpected… Unexpected, but nice, very nice actually…" he said sheepishly as his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, it was," she said, smiling slightly and dropping her eyes.

Unsure of what came next, and having no guidelines whatsoever, he said the first thing that popped into his head, figuring it was best to set things straight so there'd be no confusion between them. "Now we go back to the way things were." He felt her body stiffen beside him, and he wondered if he said the completely wrong thing, something for which he had a knack. In the interminable silence that ensued while he waited for her to say something, he let his eyes dart around the room in an attempt to keep his brain busy.

In his haste to get her into the bed, he didn't waste any time or attention on the room itself. It was a nice enough room, he thought, as his eyes took in the details they missed last night. The plush carpet was white and currently littered with clothes, bedcovers and pillows of all shapes and sizes. She kept far too many unnecessary pillows and covers on the bed, which in his opinion were nothing but a nuisance. He wasn't sure what to make of the greenish blue wall color, it seemed an odd choice, but coming from someone whose walls were all beige, any color seemed out of place and somehow wrong. Maybe she found it soothing.

"I think it would be best if we just kept this to ourselves," she said abruptly, startling him. Her eyes were fixed on him in a way he found unnerving, yet he was unable to look away.

"Of course. Calleigh, I would never say anything, I hope you know that." Since waking, he'd been deliberately avoiding any physical contact with her, but instinctively now he placed his hand on her upper arm, as if his touch was somehow reassuring.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure," she said quietly, dropping her eyes. "This… is not something…"

"I know," he reassured, figuring what it was she was having difficulty saying. He felt fairly confident she didn't make a habit of sleeping with her coworkers any more than he did, although there was her supposed past relationship with Hagen, but they at least were actually dating. "I'm as surprised as you are," he said, shaking his head. "Believe me, this wasn't anything I ever saw happening between us." A flash of something he couldn't decipher crossed her eyes, and left him thinking that perhaps his words had been misunderstood. Exactly the reason these mornings should be avoided as often as possible. "What I meant was, you're very attractive… and nice… but it's complicated, we work together and all… It's just, I don't think of you that way, well, at least I didn't think I did," he stammered.

"Well, sometimes things just happen, I guess," she said unconvincingly and he wondered which of them she was trying to convince.

"Yeah, I guess they do," he said, sighing deeply, hoping this conversation would finish quickly and they could put some clothes on.

Thinking on her words, he doubted either of them would figure out what possessed them to hit the sheets together. This time he couldn't blame his actions on too much alcohol, the number one excuse for three quarters of his random sexual encounters. No, this was something else altogether, something he hadn't yet made sense of. However puzzling and unexpected it was, it was also one of the most satisfying nights he'd had in long, long time. And that, more than anything really threw him.

Pushing pleasant thoughts of last night out of the way was the niggling notion taking root in his overly analytical brain that she wasn't going to be someone he could forget as quickly as he forgot all the others. If for no other reason, seeing her every day at work would make forgetting her and pretending nothing happened almost impossible. No doubt about it, sex with your coworker was dicey at best. Maybe he should've paid attention to that thought before he stripped her clothing off, he thought sarcastically.

On the plus side, they were both adults and professionals, not to mention pragmatic in their thinking, and neither would let one night of possibly poor judgment, but great sex, interfere with their jobs or their lives. It wasn't going to be easy though, not with all these arousing images and recollections crowding his head. Watching now as her hair danced across her chest each time she shifted, and it was all he could do to restrain his fingers from tangling themselves up in those silky strands. He swallowed hard. This was all Delko's fault. Delko brought her out and Delko should've been the one to get her home. But then would Delko be where he was now, he wondered? Now that was something he didn't want to imagine.

_"I really do appreciate this. I know it puts you out of your way," she said with an absent toss of her hair as she turned from the window to face him._

_"Yeah, well, I took pity on you. Delko can be an ass sometimes. Not your fault," he answered, keeping his eyes on the car ahead of him._

_"Eric was just being Eric. I think he was tired of keeping me company." Feeling her eyes on him, he stole a glance in her direction. "You told him we were leaving?" she asked, still watching him intently. He nodded, his response earning a warm smile in return. Yawning, he turned his attention back to the road and feeling the fatigue creep into his eyes, wished he had gotten that coffee. The long workweek and his escapades last night were rapidly catching up to him. She chatted the remainder of the ride, about what, he couldn't say. Half listening, he was grateful she didn't expect anything back from him in the way of conversation. Occasional nods and mumbles were the extent of his contribution. Having Calleigh in the car was no different than having the radio on, he mused, innocuous background noise that kept you awake. _

_"Well, here we…" he began as he put the truck in park, but her hand was on his arm before he could finish._

_"Come on, I'll make you some coffee," she offered, giving his arm a gentle tug._

_"That's okay, Calleigh. I'll be fine without it. It's not like I'll fall asleep driving, it's not that late."_

_"You were nice enough to get me out of there, it's the least I can do. I want to. It'll take but a minute. I can even put it in a travel mug for you." _

_"You really don't need to," he tried._

_"Yes, I do," she insisted with warmth in her smile. "Come on up." This was a losing battle and he knew it. Calleigh, like Delko, had an affable charm about her. The coupling of her Southern drawl with her naturally flirtatious personality made for a potent combination. When she batted her eyes and flashed her smile, she usually got exactly what she wanted. And as she'd proven on numerous occasions, even he wasn't immune to the allure of Calleigh Duquesne._

_"Fine," he mumbled with just enough exasperation to show he wasn't going willingly._

_He'd been to her apartment in the past, for the occasional parties she threw, but having missed the last couple, it had been awhile. She led him to the kitchen and set about getting the coffee maker ready, chatting amiably all the while. Looking around, he couldn't help but notice the uncluttered, gleaming surfaces, and shook his head at her compulsive orderliness, till his eyes were drawn to the end of the counter. A veritable catch all, the space was littered with everything from mail and assorted papers to candles and an open box of cookies to a plant that looked as if it had seen better days quite some time ago. The mess was a contrast to the rest of the room, where everything had a place, and even to Calleigh herself. He chuckled to himself, pleased to see this tiny side of her._

_"What?" she asked._

_"Oh, nothing. Need a hand?" he asked._

_"No, I've got it. I figured you wanted the caffeinated variety." He nodded. "I thought you didn't like coffee? I remember when I first met you and you didn't have anything good to say about it. But you drink enough of it now. What changed your mind?"_

_He shrugged. "Habit, I guess. Too many late nights and I wanted a break from cola. I still don't like it, too bitter," he shrugged again._

_"Haven't you ever tried sweetening it?" she asked with a wide grin as if she couldn't believe he hadn't thought to put sugar in his coffee before._

_"Don't like it with sugar." _

_She laughed and shook her head. "Honestly, Tim, sometimes I don't get how your mind works."_

_"Then that makes at least two of us." _

_She laughed some more as she poured the steaming liquid into the travel mug she'd set aside earlier. Mesmerized by the offhanded toss of all that golden hair down her back as she turned away from him, it was a moment before he noticed she had her hands on the sugar bowl. He quickly made his way to where she stood hoping to stop her before she dumped the crystals into his coffee rendering it undrinkable._

_"Don't," he said, startling her as she dropped the spoon onto the counter. He reached her just as she swirled around and found himself staring into a pair of crystal clear, green eyes. "No sugar," he reminded as he reached for the coffee, his gaze locked on hers._

_"Sorry, you did just tell me that, didn't you?" she admitted apologetically. He was standing close enough to feel the heat from her body, but neither moved to separate. Tipping his head towards hers, his heart raced with anticipation. "You sure you don't want to give it a try?" Her warm breath fluttered across his face as she laughed nervously._

_"Mmm… I'm quite sure," he answered in a low voice. And that was as far from the truth as it could be, because at that moment when he leaned in and placed his lips on hers, he wasn't sure of anything at all._

This had nothing to do with Delko, he thought chiding himself as he remembered the scene in the kitchen late last night. Ending up in her bed had everything to do with that kiss and nothing else. Blinking hard, he needed a moment to refocus his wandering thoughts. He also needed to divert his eyes away from her lush, pink lips. The memory of last night was way too close to the surface, bringing with it the sensation of slow, shivery kisses he'd prefer to forget, for fear of leading to more of the same. Staying here any longer than necessary was doing him no good, he needed to make a quick exit. His eyes darted around the room, searching for anything to light upon, but feeling her gaze boring into him, he couldn't stop himself from glancing back at her. Looking perplexed, she probably wondered where his head was.

She hadn't said very much, which he found more than a little disconcerting, since he figured she'd be the one to put some kind of positive spin on this. He cleared his throat, a weak attempt at buying time before he had to speak. "I should get going," he said finally, uncertain what else might be called for. He sat up in the bed, carelessly tossing the sheet off without a thought to her modesty. Grabbing the sheet, she clasped it around her chest before raising herself to a sitting position. "Sorry," he mumbled, briefly squinting in her direction before eyeballing the floor for his clothes.

Her continued silence only increased his discomfort. He couldn't help but wonder if there was something she was waiting for him to say. At this rate, she was going to be waiting a good long time, because there was nothing he wanted to say. He needed to leave cleanly, without complications. Still, he also needed to be mindful that he could be spending the rest of the day working a crime scene with her, which meant he couldn't be a jerk about this. Quickly he pulled up his boxers and tugged on his jeans, aware of the same kind of rustling coming from the other side of the bed. He couldn't resist a sideways glance, catching one last glimpse of her perfectly rounded breast before she pulled on her robe. Buttoning his shirt, he made his way over to her side of the bed, scanning the floor for his missing socks and boots as he walked. Carefully, he sidestepped various items of her clothing, but found no evidence of his missing footwear.

"I think this is what you're looking for," she said in a soft voice as she reached under the bed and pulled out a large, black boot, obviously not one of hers, along with his socks.

"Yeah," he answered, looking at her from beneath an arched brow. "Thanks." He sat beside her on the bed, close, but not too close, and slipped on his socks. "Do you have my watch?" he asked hesitantly. She gave him a small smile and nodded before grabbing it off the nightstand. He closed his eyes for a moment while his fingers deftly fastened the strap, and lingered in the memory of her soft fingers caressing his skin as she gently removed his watch. Overly eager to get her into the bed, he gave nary a thought to his wristwatch, not caring whether it was on or off. Nor apparently, had he given a thought to slowing down and savoring the experience. Fortunately, she had. Naked and breathing heavily, they were inches from the bed when she stopped him in his tracks. Confused, he watched with rapt attention while she very slowly removed the timepiece from his wrist. With both focused intently on this small gesture, the simple act became an intimate moment to be appreciated, much like the woman herself.

"This doesn't need to be awkward," she said, once more pulling him from his head. Frowning, he squinted in her direction, wondering how this could possibly be viewed as anything but awkward. He was grateful she had finally broken her silence. He desperately needed her to smooth this over for them, but what could she possibly be thinking? Perhaps she'd forgotten they'd be at work together, he glanced at his watch, in just over an hour, and he'd have to forget he now knew how she looked naked, not to mention, how she felt and tasted. And he wasn't the only one with new knowledge. Just the thought caused an involuntary groan. Now it was her turn to frown. "Really, Tim, we're both grown-ups. I should think we could move past this without incident. It's not like either of us went looking for this or expect anything to be different now."

Taken aback by that last comment, he leaned away from her, still frowning. Now that was something he never even considered, that she might possibly interpret his actions as something completely different than what they actually were. And what were they exactly, he puzzled? They were both single and, as best he could figure, completely unattached, as well as sober and consenting, but that went nowhere as far as explaining how they ended up in bed together. Proximity, he guessed, that and the allure of the unanticipated encounter. She was just there. All she had to do was look up at him with gleaming eyes to get lost in and the urge to kiss her was simply overwhelming. It shouldn't have gone any further than that, but then she kissed him back. And everything changed in that instant, because no one had ever kissed him quite like that.

"Tim?" she asked with confusion, probably still wondering where his head was this morning. For someone often accused of being too intensely focused, he was having a hard time keeping his mind in any one place this morning.

"Uh, right," he mumbled, perplexed as to what he was conceding to. Her features softened, so his response must have been the correct one.

"I'm glad you feel the same way. I would hate for this to ruin our friendship. I knew we'd be able to work together, we're both professional, but I wanted to be able to remain friends…" Her voice trailed off and once again uncertainty clouded her features.

He blinked in bafflement. "Friends?" he questioned, without thinking how that sounded to her ears.

"We're not friends?" she asked, not quick enough to mask the hurt in her voice.

"Maybe we are," he shrugged. "I just never thought about it."

"Oh," she said, looking down and shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

Frowning, he was bewildered that this statement surprised and possibly upset her. He'd never thought of them as friends. He liked her well enough, at least most of the time, and she'd earned his respect, which in truth was probably more important than whether he liked her, but did that make them friends? They didn't talk often, and he honestly didn't care to know the intimate details of her life, but he felt that same way about most people. Except now with Calleigh he possessed a different kind of knowledge than he had about anyone else he worked with, and that was more than a little disconcerting.

He sighed heavily. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, and judging by the expression she wore, it looked an awful lot like he had. Tentatively, he reached out with his hand. "We are friends, Calleigh. I don't know why I said that." He shrugged again. "I don't really think about that stuff," he said, as if that explained all.

"Okay," she said stiffly as an uncomfortable silence descended upon them. "We should think about getting to work."

"Yeah," he nodded. It didn't seem as if he had improved the situation any with that last remark despite his best attempt. "I'm sorry, you know, about what I said before," he stammered. She nodded and gave him a small, tight smile. "We're okay?" he asked with uncertainty.

"We're okay," she replied tentatively. He nodded, that seemed safest, and couldn't get him into any more trouble. She started off the bed and he grabbed her hand, helping her up, managing to hold on a moment longer than necessary. "You want coffee before you go?" she asked half-heartedly and once again he found himself staring into a pair of crystal clear, green eyes.

"Uh, no, that's okay, but thanks anyway." Now that, that could get him into trouble he mused, flashing back to last night's attempt at coffee. "I should be on my way," he answered, yet made no move to leave.

"Okay. Guess I'll see you later," she said softly.

"Yeah, later."

That's the moment he should've left. They had semi-successfully navigated through the morning after, despite his penchant for saying all of the wrong things, and done so without having to closely examine the whys of the night before. An uncomplicated exit was his for the taking, except he didn't. His body, propelled by something his three-steps-ahead brain hadn't yet figured out, instead inched closer to where she stood. Caught in her intent gaze, he barely noticed how his upper body leaned in, as his head dropped ever so slightly. She tipped her chin expectantly, her mouth tantalizingly close. For several long, motionless moments, they were poised awkwardly with an almost kiss hanging like an unanswered question in the electrically charged air between them. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers, losing himself in the sensation of his lips pressed against hers, until the faint voice in the back of his head called him back. Blinking rapidly, he took a fumbling step backwards effectively breaking the connection, as his confused brain attempted to regain control of his body. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, almost as if wishing him away. With that, he mumbled a hasty goodbye, and left the room.

The end


End file.
